


Broken Hallelujah

by Reallyscj



Category: Kings of Con - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of previous illness, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-25 01:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reallyscj/pseuds/Reallyscj
Summary: Rich and Rob have been on the circuit for years, they know each other inside and out.But can one moment change everything forever?





	Broken Hallelujah

**Author's Note:**

> Art can be found here http://kuwlshadow.tumblr.com/post/165088618998/title-broken-hallelujah-author-reallyscj

Warmth and comfort. Like a large marshmallow, or being hugged by a cloud. These were the only senses that Rob could feel. Pure bliss as he drifted into consciousness.

KNOCK, KNOCK “Robbie! Get up!” 

Rich’s voice ripped through the calm, and tore him violently to the present. Rob gave out a groan as he buried his face into the pillow. Savoring the last few moments of comfort.

Pounding from the door continued. Rob threw back the covers and stomped toward the door, wrenching it open.

“What Rich?! What in gods name do you need at this hour?”

“I- um-.” What ever Rich was going to say was caught in his throat. He stared at Rob with large eyes and a surprised look on his face.

Rob stared back at him with a mix of annoyance and confusion. It wasn’t until the cool air of the hallway hit his chest and legs, that Rob realized that he was standing at the doorway in only his boxers. Panic swelled up in his chest so fast that it hurt. 

A quick gasp and a squeak was all that Rich heard before the door was slammed in his face. He stood for a few moments trying to compose himself. The sight of Rob in his boxers had been a surprise, but it should not have affected him as much as it had. 

Squashing the odd feeling, he quickly switched into his usual cocky mode, “Well, now that I know you are fully upright, I’ll give you a few minutes to get yourself together, and see you downstairs for breakfast.” 

Turning, he quickly retreated down to the tiny restaurant in the hotel.

On the other side of the door, Rob was sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest. The room was spinning and his lungs were not cooperating. Too many thoughts were running through his head. 

Why had he slept in only his boxers last night? He never does that. What the fuck did Rich really want? What had been up with that look on his face? Why was all of this causing a panic attack? Rich is his best friend. He has been with him through thick and thin. It shouldn’t matter that he saw Rob’s… Pokemon boxers? Ah shit!

 

 

After a relaxing shower, and a pep talk, Rob joined Rich in the restaurant. He was fully ready to have Rich give him crap about what happened, but was surprised when there was nothing of that sort.

“So, Sue is on a warpath, again. Something about Chip eating the last Milky Way,” Rich stated flipping his hands in the air while looking over some papers, as Rob took the seat across from him. “Who knows what has set her off today.”

Rob was glad to jump into business mode. All the anxiety from earlier melted away, and he sat up a little taller. 

“So, what is this going to mean for the panels today?” Rob asked. The waitress sat down a cup of coffee, that Rich must have ordered for him, and he took a long drag of the warm, bitter liquid. He was comforted instantly by the fact that the coffee was just to his liking. Rich must have remembered from being with him on the circuit all these years.

“Well,” Rich stated looking up from the papers, “the panels will go off without a hitch. Sue is a professional. I was just warning you so that you can steer clear of her in the green room.”

The waitress returned, and set down two plates of food. Rich had his normal large belgian waffle and bowl of grits in front of him. And Rob’s plate had a simple veggie egg white omelet, and a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with diced apples. 

Rob smiled internally. It was nice to see that Rich was looking out for his dietary needs. Having suffered his stroke three years back, he was always extra cautious about his food.

Rich must have noticed that Rob wasn't eating and immediately started babbling, “Is there something wrong with your food? Did I order the wrong stuff? Shit! I’ll get the waitress.” There was a bit of panic in his voice as he raised his arm to get the attention of the older woman.

Rob reached out and gently grabbed Rich’s wrist. “No, everything is fine,” He reassured his friend with a smile. Letting go he dug into the food, as Rich did the same.

 

 

“Thank you. You all have been amazing!” Rob waved to the fans as he finished his panel. He stepped behind the curtain, turned around, and ran smack into Matt.

“What the fuck?! Watch where you are going!” Matt yelled.

“I’m sorry, Matt,” Rob almost whispered looking up at him from the floor. 

Matt scoffed, stepped over him, and kept on walking.

Rob was still sitting on the floor when Rich turned the corner. It hurt him to see his buddy just sitting there. He wished that he could do something to wipe the hurt off his face. So he did the one thing that he was good at, mockery.

“Finding any change down there, Robbie?”

Rob’s head shot up at the sound of his best friend’s voice. He groaned internally, embarrassed that Rich had found him still on the floor.

“Naw, Maury already picked the floor clean.”

Giving a chuckle at the quip, Rich reached a hand down to his friend and gave a tug. Rob gave out a groan as he was pulled to a standing position. 

“So, why were you on the floor buddy?”

“I accidentally ran into Matt, literally, and fell backwards.”

“Bet that went well.”

Rob let out a huff, and shook his head. He hated the fact that he was such a klutz.

Walking into the green room he grabbed a water and flopped down in one of the chairs. He was tired and glad that Sue was on the other side of the room, not wanting to have to deal with her sharp tongue after what just happened with Matt. He just wanted to close his eyes and shut everything out for just a moment. 

“Rob,” Handler Beth’s voice startled him, and he jumped. 

“What?! Yeah, what's up?”

“You have an autograph session to get to.” She sounded bored. Rob knew that he was not the actor that she wanted to be dealing with this weekend. 

“Yeah, ok.” Rob answered and stood up from the chair.

The world tilted and Rob fell back into the chair awkwardly, and bit his tongue upon landing. The taste of copper filled his mouth, and he silently cursed at himself.

“Robbie?’ Rich’s voice sounded worried, which made Rob feel even more like an idiot. Rich was at his side in seconds.

“I’m fine. Just stood up too fast,” Rob tried to reassure everyone, especially his best friend.

“Did you take your meds this morning?”

“Yes, Richard,” Rob chided using the full name as a tease, trying to play off the dizzy feeling in his head.

Rich rolled his eyes, and scoffed.

Rob looked around at the crowd that was around him. Maury, Osric, Sue, and even the guitarist from the band were all huddled around him giving him pitying looks.

“Guys,” Rob stated annoyed, “I’m fine. See.” He stood up without any ones help, not missing Rich’s extended hand, but refusing it. The room tilted only slightly, but within a few seconds, everything was back to normal.

He turned to Handler Beth, “Let’s go make some fans happy,” then walked off before anyone else could say anything to him.

 

 

Rob knew that he was going to catch hell from Rich for the stumble earlier on in the day, but really he felt fine. There was a whisper of a headache, but nothing he couldn’t power through. The fans were worth it. He only had to get through a panel with Rich, and then he could go lay down for a few minutes before he went on stage with the band.

“Hey,” Rich’s voice came from behind him and had a hint of concern, but Rob could tell he was trying to hide it, “how’s the head?”

“Fine. I just need a quick power nap before the concert, and I will be right as rain.” Rob tried to sound as cheery as he could, hoping that his best friend would not see through it. He even threw on a smile to solidify the look.

Rich didn’t buy it, but he didn’t push either.

“So,” Rich exclaimed, clapping and rubbing his hands together, “You ready for this?”

“About as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Stepping on to the stage from behind the curtain, the stage lights blinded Rob for a moment. The pain in his head spiked for a moment, but then receded. By the time he had recovered, he realized that Rich was staring at him. Shit, he must have missed something being said to him.

“Evidently Robbie decided to go into space for a moment. How was the air up there?” Rich was joking, but Rob could see the worry in his eyes.

Rob smiled reassuringly, he really was feeling better. “Surprisingly refreshing,” he chuckled.

Rich kept eye contact a bit longer just to make sure Rob was being sincere.

Rob gave a wink, and turned back to the crowd, feeling more like himself since that morning. “So, should we get to questions?” Rob inquired as he turned his back to Rich. 

He couldn't see a face, but pointed in the general area he knew the fans to be standing. 

There was a silence, and he thought for a moment that no one was there to ask questions. He started to feel a bit awkward just standing there. 

“Hi,” came a timid voice, “um… I was wondering with all the pranks that Jayden and Justin play, if they ever pranked you, and which one was your favorite”?

There were a few groans from veteran con goers in the crowd, and Rob internally rolled his eyes. 

He would never let on to the fans how much he despised this question. All the fans mainly see the Jays laughing and having fun. But when it came to the little players, they never really paid them much attention. So while Jayden and Justin pranked each other, there was not one prank that was ever played on Rob, and he was asked about at almost every convention they went to.

“Oh man,” he sighed, “it's been a few years since I was on that set. Ya know, I can't really think of any pranks that were pulled on me. Rich”?

Rob turned and caught Rich quickly look up and catch eyes with him. Was Rich… was he staring at Rob's ass?

Rob gave Rich a confused look, and Rich threw up that cocky smile he used on the fans. 

“Ah well, I'm just too crafty for them. They can never catch me with one good enough. So to answer your question, no the Jays have never pranked us”. Turning on his heels he pointed to the general darkness on the other side of the stage, “You!”

 

The rest of the panel went off pretty normal. There were more questions about Justin and Jayden, but there were a few loyal fans that asked about their favorite color or a specific scene of the show. 

There was even one that asked about a role Rich played when he was younger. A mini-series set around World War II. Rob could see the change in Rich’s face. How it lit up when talking about his time on set. The friendships that he made, and how it lead to him starting a charity to help other veterans.

Rob felt a warmth blossoming behind his breastbone. He liked seeing Rich this happy, a real happy. Not the mask that he has on all the time. Rich thinks he is fooling everyone, and for the most part it's true, but not Rob. Rob who has been there through all of Rich’s divorces and disappointing roles. Just as Rich has was there for his divorce from Marney, and even sat by him when he had his stroke. 

Rich is the reason that Rob was standing on that stage. When the stroke hit, Rob couldn't talk or consent to anything. It was Rich that made the decision to administer the medication that saved Rob's life. 

“Alright folks,” Rich’s voiced boomed throughout the ballroom snapping Rob back to the present, “that’s it for the panels today. But the fun is not over. Make sure you come back tonight for the music stylings of Elastic Waistband, our very own Rob Bennett’s band. We may even have some of the other actors as special guests.” Everyone gave their bows and exited the stage.

Back up in his hotel room, Rob was glad to have a little bit of quiet time to himself. The day had been just a bit too loud, and it was quiet in his room. He knew that he could take a few minutes, shut his eyes, and take a nap. So he laid down to do just that.

KNOCK, KNOCK

Rob growled internally. Seriously! He couldn’t have 20min? He thought to himself as he rolled off the bed to see who was bothering him. 

He pulled open the door to, once again, find Rich on the other side. Most of the anger melted away as Rob saw his best friend's face. Rich was hiding behind his cocky smile. Something was up.

“I know you said you were going to nap, but I also know today has been one hell of a day, and I just wanted to check in with you.” Rich spoke quickly. 

Rob was getting tired of all the walking on eggshells, but he gave a slight chuckle, opened the door a little wider and stepped to the side, as a silent invite to Rich, and Rich slipped in quickly. 

Rob went back and sat at the top of the bed, and leaned back against the headboard. This way he could rest his head back and relax a bit. Rich chose to sit cross legged at the foot of the bed opposite of Rob’s feet.

“So,” Rob started, breaking the silence, “what's up?”

“Um,” Rich was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “I was just making sure you're ok. You've kind of had an off day. Not to mention the wonderful try at acting like a damsel in distress while in the green room earlier.”

Rob saw Rich’s mask slip a bit, but didn’t comment. He really felt fine. There was a bit of an odd feeling itching under his skin, but all in all he felt fine. 

He loved that Rich was watching out for him, but this was getting ridiculous. He was not a porcelain doll. He was not going to break. He just need a little bit of sleep.

“Look,” Rob tried to keep the tenseness out of his voice, “I love that you are looking out for me, but as I have stated multiple times today, I am fine. I am just tired, and I need some sleep.”

“But-”

“But nothing!” Rob yelled, “I just need some rest, and I can’t do that if you are at my door knocking every 5 minutes. So, get out of my room so I can get the rest that I have been trying to get all damn day.”

Pain and surprise flashed on Rich’s face. Rob instantly regretted yelling, but did have time to take it back, as Rich rolled of the bed and stormed out of the room.

With the room quiet again, Rob closed his eyes to get the sleep he had been looking for.

 

 

Rob plucked a few strings on his guitar making sure that he was getting it tuned correctly. He had cornered himself off on the far side of the greenroom. He had awoke from his nap, still in a foul mood. He couldn’t get to sleep after Rich left. Flip flopping between being mad at the way he was treated and feeling bad for yelling at Rich. So when he was finally able to close his eyes, he got a fraction of the rest he was looking for.

It seemed that everyone knew that he didn’t want to be talked to as well. No one had approached him since he had arrived to start setting up for the concert. Even Sue and Matt were staying away from him. 

“Um, Rob?” Handler Beth’s voice came from behind him. It lacked the boredom, and was replaced with hesitance. 

Rob turned quickly, and Beth had to take a step back to avoid getting hit in the face with the head of the guitar. He waited for her to finish what she was going to say with impatience written all over his face.

“They are ready for a sound check.”

Rob snapped his eyes to the band, who were all standing by the door waiting to go out to the stage. Silently, he gave Beth a nod and headed for the door.

 

 

Sound check went off without a hitch, and by the end Rob was feeling a bit more like himself. He wanted to apologize to Rich, but the man couldn’t be found. Rob found out that Rich had bowed out of introducing the band for the concert, and had left it up to Matt. Matt would do just fine, but he didn’t have the certain finesse that Rich brought.

Rob started to worry that he had really pushed his friend over the edge, and that he may have truly lost his best friend forever. A sickening feeling fell over him. His chest hurt, and he was nauseated. He wanted to leave and find Rich, but he knew that he couldn’t. He made a vow to himself that as soon as he was off the stage, he would find Rich and apologize for getting so mad.

“Give it up for Elastic Waistband!” Matt’s voice boomed, and was followed by a chorus of cheers and screams. Everyone in the band gave a nod, and stepped out to the crowd.

 

The first few songs were amazing. The band fell into a groove and the crowd was eating them up. But even as well as everything was going, Rob was getting a bit overheated with the lights, and asked for a third water of the night. 

Rob caught the eye of Billy, the guitarist, who gave him a silent You ok? look. Rob just shrugged him off, and went into the next song. 

 

15 minutes went by and Rob was feeling as he need a bit of a breather. He made an executive decision and called one of the other guests to the stage early. “Alright, for this next song, I'm going to call upon my good friend Sue. I believe she's got an amazing song for you.”

He looked to the side of the stage to see a pissed off and confused Sue. She quickly threw on her cheerful mask, and came out waving to the crowd. 

As she got closer she she spoke to him through a gritted toothed smile. “What the fuck! You have called me too early.”

“I'm sorry Sue,” Rob felt a bit short of breath, “these lights are a bit warm. I just need a few minutes to catch my breath.”

He could see the annoyance on her face, but retreated quickly, just as the first few cords of Blondie’s Gonna Get Ya started. 

Backstage the music was a dull thud, but out of the lights Rob was feeling better. He was sitting on the floor with his head on his knees, focusing on his breath. 

“Hey,” Rob heard a familiar voice speak, and looked up to see Jason standing above him. While Jason was not actually an actor in the show, he was a good friend of all the other actors, and some of his music had made it into the show a couple times. He was known well around the circuit, and he often came out on stage to sing with Rob and the band. “You good to sing this next song?”

“Yeah Jace, I'm good. Just needed a breather from the lights for a moment.”

“You're looking a little pale. I'm sure the fans would understand if we need to cut this short.”

Annoyance built in Rob's gut, but he quickly pushed it down. It wasn’t Jason's fault, he didn't know that Rob was already upset about all the checking up that had happened today. 

“Nah man, I'm good.” Rob stood, and was followed by Jason back onto the stage. 

“You guys are too nice.” Sue was bowing and waving to the crowd as Rob walked up to the side. As soon as she was out of sight, her smile fell, and she poked a finger into Rob's chest. “Do that again, and I will cut all the elastic out of your underwear.”

Rob was scared, even if the threat was a bit off the wall. 

He stepped back out on the stage with Jason in tow. “Alright, who wants to hear a duet with me and this amazing Mann.” The crowd chuckled at the double meaning of Jason's last name. 

Rob put a capo on his guitar, and strummed out the first haunting notes of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, and Jason started the first verse. 

Well I heard there was a secret chord  
That David played and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do you?

His fingers fumbled the notes a second, but he quickly recovered and took over the next verse, as muscle memory took over the strumming.

Your faith was strong but you needed proof  
You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

As Rob sang, the words on the iPad started to fuzz a bit. But his vision came back and he finished out the verse. 

Rob could see a concerned look on Jason's face, but he ignored it. He missed Jason signal to Billy as Jason picked up the next part. 

Baby I've been here before  
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor (you know)  
I used to live alone before I knew you

Rob stopped playing, and Billy was right behind him, so the song never missed a beat. Rob rubbed at his eyes. There must be some sweat in my eyes, he thought to himself. He shook his left arm out, trying to get feeling back into his fingers. 

The end of the song was coming, and it was Rob's favorite part. He loved being able to put all the emotion into the last few verses.

Maybe there's a God above  
All I've ever learned from love  
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you

Rob pulled all the emotion this song drew from him and put it into the last few lines. 

And it's not a cry that you hear at night  
It's not somebody who's seen the light  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

As he sang the hallelujah of the last verse, something inside him snapped. His brain misfired, and what felt like an electric shock went through his head and out all of his extremities. 

“Oh shit, not again.” Was the last thought that went through his mind as the room went black. 

 

Heavy. Everything felt heavy. Rob couldn't move, couldn't open his eyes, couldn't speak. But his ears, his ears worked fine, and could hear everything.

He could hear the beeping of a heart monitor. He could hear the bustling of what sounded like nurses in a hospital. He could also just make out the faint breathing of someone else in the room, and what felt like someone holding his hand. 

Just then the door opened, and someone walked in. “Rich, go back to the hotel and sleep.” Sue snarked, “you haven't left his side since he arrived.”

“Rich is the one holding his hand, and he has been at my bedside?!” Rob thought. “But I was so rude to him. Why would he risk sleep for me?”

“No Sue,” The other man sounded tired and worn down, “I'm not leaving until he wakes up. I can't let the last conversation we had, be our last conversation ever.” His voice broke a bit at the end. 

Sue scoffed, and left the room. 

Rob hears Rich shift in his chair, and felt a squeeze to his hand.

“Come on buddy, you gotta wake up. All the fans are worried… The band is worried… I'm worried.” Rich was pleading. He let out a puff of breath, and Rob heard him sniff as wetness hit his hand. 

Tiredness overtook Rob, and he fell into darkness once more. 

 

When the darkness lifted a bit, everything was still heavy, but he could still hear. He heard a new voice in the room.

“Dude, you need to shower,” Matt scolded, “why are you even still here? He hasn't moved in two days, and you were pissed at him anyway. Wasn't he pissed at you for this exact thing? Babying him!”

“I am not babying him.” Rich shot back. 

“Yes you are. You are doting all over him. He was pissed that you were all over him. Yet here you are, doing it all over again.” 

“He's my friend.” The words almost a whisper out of Rich’s mouth. 

“He is everyone's friend. But you are the only one that hasn’t moved in 48 hours.” Matt was just shy of yelling at this point. 

“Because I love him!” Rich yelled back. 

The heart monitor jumped to life for a second, beeping 3 times in succession. Rich was in love with him. How could he have not seen it? All the doting and making sure that Rob was taking care of himself. The breakfasts, the meds, the hanging out in his room. It was all because Rich loved him. 

“Robbie?!” Rich’s voice sounded frantic. The monitor evened out to its normal few beats. 

Rob was trying hard to fight through the heavy darkness. He had to wake up, he had to get back to Rich. He had to tell him that he loved him too. He didn't mean the things he said. 

The heaviness was getting worse and he was starting to slip back under.

“And not even a declaration of love can bring him out.” Were the last snaking words from Matt that Rob heard as the heaviness took over. 

 

“Third time's a charm,” Rob thought as the fog lifted once more. 

The heaviness was significantly less, so Rob tested to see if his eyes would open this time. They did, and he was briefly blinded by the room lights. 

He took note of everything he felt before moving. His body was sore, there was an oxygen cannula in his nose, and he could feel the IV in his hand. He blinked a few more times, and then turned his head to the right. 

He saw Rich curled up in the recliner sleeping. The nurses must have taken pity on him, as there was a thin hospital blanket covering him. Rob could see the dark circles under his eyes, but Rich look young and vulnerable. Rob couldn't help the smile that came to his face. 

Just then, Rich let out a large snore, and a laugh escaped out of Rob’s chest. It sounded hoarse coming out of his unused throat, and caused Rob to cough some. 

Rich jolted awake, “what?! Rob?! Robbie you're awake! Shit! Let me get you some water!”

Rich reached over and poured a glass of water from the pitcher that was on a side table. He threw in a straw, and held it for Rob. 

Rob took several long drags of the water, loving how it felt like heaven to his dry throat. He pulled back and took a deep breath. 

“Better?” Rich asked smiling a bit. His eyes shone, and the crinkles deepened, and Rob's stomach did a flip. Rich's face was closer to Rob's than it had ever been. 

“Yes, thank you.” Rob's voice still sounded a bit weak, but he was happy that he was able to put words together. 

Rich sat back, and put the cup on the side table. He let out a small sigh, and worry painted his face. He swiped at his eyes, and Rob realized that Rich was wiping away tears. 

“Hey,” Rob softly asked, “what are those for?” 

Rich sniffed a bit, and then faced his best friend. “I just-” sigh. “After the-” sniff “I thought I lost you.”

Rob opened his arms, and Rich stepped forward to bury his face in Rob's chest. Rob rubbed small circles into the other man’s back, As the sobs took hold. 

When Rich felt that he had a hold on himself, he sat up, and sat back down, staring at his shoes. He need to clean them soon. 

“Feel better?” Rob questioned. 

“A little.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Not hate me.”

Rob was taken back by the comment. “Why would I hate you? Are you the reason I am in this bed?”

“Well, no, that would be your blood pressure. But you might be upset at what I have to say next, ‘cause I have to say it. I can't hold it back anymore.”

Rob gave a sweet smile, and gave Rich (or mainly the top of Rich’s head) his full attention. 

“I love you. And not like a brother love, but a love, love”

“I know. I love you too.”

“And I know, you are probably going to be pissed at me, and if you don't feel that way I under- Wait! What?” Rich's head snapped up, and he locked eyes with Rob. 

“I love you too, and not in a brother type way.” Rob gave a small chuckle at the look on Rich's face. 

Rich was speechless, and his eyes looked as though they were about to pop right out of his head. 

“I heard you talking to Matt while I was sleeping. I realize now that I have loved you for a long time, it has just taken me almost dying to realize it.”

Rich turned his silence into action and jumped from his seat to crush his lips with Rob's.

Rich’s lips were almost as chapped as Rob's, and he tasted of coffee and glazed donuts. The kiss was short, but the emotion in it was enough to have Rob's head spinning. As Rich pulled back, he rested their foreheads together, and smiled the biggest smile Rob had seen in a long time. 

The room door swung open and three nurses came barreling into the room. Rich threw himself back, but kept ahold of one of Rob's hands. The nurses looked panicked, but then took in the scene in front of them. All but one where smiling. 

The stern nurse stepped forward and looked Rich square in the eyes. “The next time you feel like attacking your boyfriends face, please make sure you don't hit the panic button on his side bed.” She pressed a button combination to turn off the alarm, and swiftly left the room. 

Both Rob and Rich were blushing all the way to their toes. 

 

~~One Year Later~~

“Thank you everyone for the warm welcome back. I know last year wasn't fun for some of us.” Rob looked over at Rich and gave a comforting smile. “But, even dark times, can be the best times of your life.”

Rob reached his hand out inviting Rich across the stage, and was rewarded when his boyfriend intertwined their fingers, and lifted his hand to give the top a quick peck. 

The audience cheered, Rob blushed, and Sue fake vomited from the side stage.


End file.
